Tips on Choosing a Baby Monitor

Baby monitors are most commonly used to keep track of sleeping babies. They're an unobtrusive piece of baby gear designed to help with watching and listening to without waking a sleeping child.

The typical baby monitor comes with two parts: a receiver and a transmitter. The transmitter stays near the baby, and the receiver stays near the babysitter. Some receivers are designed to clip to a belt so you can be more mobile; if possible, try the clip on in the store to make sure it's comfortable.

There are two basic kinds of baby monitors: video and audio.

Audio monitors provide sound monitoring so you can hear when your baby cries. Video monitors let you actually watch what your baby is doing. Some baby monitors combine both features, and others offer a "light" aspect that represents the volume of the crying in a column of lights.

The easiest way to think of a baby monitor is as a one-way walkie talkie. You can hear what your baby is doing, but your sounds aren't being played in the baby's room. One thing to keep in mind is that baby monitors broadcast like tiny radios, so to avoid others overhearing your conversations, make sure to turn the monitor off when you're not using it to monitor your baby.

Consider the size of your home when choosing your baby monitor. If you have a small apartment, a monitor with a single receiver is probably enough. If you live in a larger space, you may want to purchase a monitor with more receivers so you can place them around the house.

Copyright © 2000-2012 Hints and Things

All Rights Reserved.

No portion of this site may be reproduced or redistributed without prior written permission from Hints and Things. All trademarks & copyrights throughout Hints and Things remain the property of their respective owners.

Hints and Things cannot be held responsible for any information given on this site nor do they necessarily agree with, or endorse, the views given by third parties.